LED lights galore, zero-galaxy space suits, disco ball helmets, a SheBot, 3D printed jewelry, and, sigh, drones walking the runway. Welcome to the future, or at least, the future envisioned by that rascal of prototyped looks Betabrand.
For the first ever “Silicon Valley Fashion Week?”—the punctuation is vital, as it’s still an open question—Betabrand invited local designers and wearable tech companies to showcase the latest looks on and off the runway.
Mission Local popped into the second night of the three night “week” to see what the style-conscious nerds had to show for themselves. At a happy hour held at Betabrand’s Valencia Street HQ co-sponsored by SF Fashtech, vendors specializing in wearable technology showed off the goods. Items ranged from whimsical, such as Drumpants in which a wearer can play the opening notes to Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” among other songs, to highly practical such as Electroloom, which is developing technology to print clothes on a 3D printer.
Following the happy hour, the runway show across the street at the Chapel had hundreds of fashionable and not-so-fashionable flocking. Looks proved we were a long way from Milan or Bryant Park, but squarely in the bosom of Silicon Valley. Fiber optic cable dresses, gladiators clad in LED by Mikaela Holmes, models sporting lazer cut geometric lamps, and, of course, the drones, all graced the runway. A many-face, 3D printed chapeau by Heidi Lee was scene stealer.
Check out our video below to help answer the vital question: can fashion and Silicon Valley mix?
